Winter 1999-2000 Newsletter

ISDN 2000 Meeting, Heidelberg

After perusing the 2000 Heidelberg booth at the Society for Neurosciences I walked away with a feeling of pride and true admiration for the fantastic job that Klaus Unsicker and Andreas Faissner have done. The program is truly outstanding and it provides a degree of focus and perspective that truly reflects both the state of developmental neuroscience today as well as its promise.

The images and graphics on the poster are also real knockouts. Finally, one has to thank Ute Volbehr for her perseverance and hard work before, during and after the Neuroscience Meeting. While we regaled in the vast spectrum of science offered and the decadent joys of Miamis South Beach, she stood by the booth day after day. Well done!

If you have not had a chance to look over the more than tentative program please take a look as it is appended to this newsletter. I am sure that you will see that it is not my exaggeration to speak of it in superlatives.

The Venue on the campus of the University will be a 20-30 minute walk from the Old Town of Heidelberg. Public transportation will be available every 15 min. from Old Town. There will be morning plenary sessions and two evening sessions. A focus will be to look to the new century. For those of you coming with accompanying members, you are in for a treat. Heidelberg is not only in one of the more picturesque parts of Germany but also in one of the friendliest and with a milder climate than one associates with Central Europe. It is a true medieval college town. Nearby there are great wine areas - which I know well since my wife Karin grew up there and culinary feasts at prices not usually found in Europe. The Pfalz is well known for its varied and satisfying kitchen. Do not forget that the previous Chancellor of Germany, Kohl, is from this area and he certainly always looked well fed. Seriously, the whole area is redolent with castles from the days of the sagas and unspoiled nature. All this only one hour away from Frankfurt airport where they have the cheapest car rental rates I know of in Europe. I typically rent from the States for about $17-20/day.

So a charming place, with friendly people and dynamite science. What else is there to be wished for. See you there.

ISDN 2002 Meeting, Sidney

Also, at the Neuroscience Meeting in Miami, ISDN officers met to discuss plans for the 2002 Meeting in Sidney from Feb. 2-6, 2002 in conjunction with the Australian Neuroscience Society. Those plans are well underway under the direction of Ian Hendry and Phil Waite in Australia and Program Chair Ralph Bradshaw, with Perry Bartlett representing the Australian Neuroscience Society. All of the above are making concrete plans for that meeting. Please feel free to send them your ideas. Another feature of the meeting is that since Australians are upside down, the meeting will take place in February during their summer. For neuroscientists in northern climes this may prove to be one more reason to go enjoy science under more pleasant conditions.

As we announced in our last newsletter, soon it will be time to plan for 2004 and beyond. John Edmond is busily gathering information on Scotland sites and a final decision is likely to be made at the business meeting in Heidelberg.

In these times where we are all so busy it is not realistic to expect individuals to drop everything and help put together a meeting at a years notice. Planning ahead of time allows for more realistic participation by working scientists.

ISDN 2000 - Message from the President

As we approach the 21^st century developmental neurobiology is entering an exciting phase. Ten years ago developmental processes such as specification of cellular and regional identity, axonal projections into target regions, and selectivity of synapse formation were described in their cellular details, yet molecules controlling these events were hardly known. Today, novel molecules can be encountered almost on a day-by-day basis, and established molecules are assigned entirely novel functions. How many steps further do we have to go to understand the development of the nervous system and its functions? It seems that we are still far from understanding the establishment of even the smallest neuronal network in molecular and functional terms. By the turn of the century most gene families, maybe even most genes, involved in the development of the nervous system will be known. Understanding the contextual and sequential actions of these genes will be the challenge for developmental neurosciences within the next decades. It seems to me that having been used to listening to solo instruments, i.e. actions of single molecules, for a long time, we still have to adapt to complex orchestral sounds and find ways to analyze such complexities.

With this goal in mind we have started to organize the 13^th Biennial Meeting of the ISDN, which will be held from July 28 to August 1, 2000. Heidelberg, a European center for molecular, cell, and neurobiology, the oldest university in Germany, and one of the most attractive cities in Germany for visitors from abroad will provide the stage for what we hope will be a meeting to continue the series of excellent ISDN meetings in the past. Andreas Faissner, who holds joint appointments at Heidelberg and Strasbourg (address below), is the program chair. Plenary lectures, symposia, workshops and a technology session cover a broad range of issues from molecular genetics to the development of neural systems and normal and abnormal behavior.

I very much rely on input from the ISDN membership. I look forward to your suggestions for further promoting the scientific standards of the society, cooperation, and support of young trainees.

Klaus Unsicker; Andreas Faissner, Program Chair

President, Centre de Neurochimie du CNRS

Neuroanatomy, University of Heidelberg , 5,rue Blaise Pascal

ISDN 1998 - Executive Council - Summary of Minutes

Treasurer's Report

The finances of the Society are in good shape at this time. Total income from the membership dues and royalties from the International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience, the official journal of the Society are on the upswing. At Council 98, it was decided that the goal to build up over the next 4 years a reserve is both feasible and desirable.

Council Composition

Four new members of Council were elected to serve 1998-2002. In order better to delineate areas of growth for the Society, an additional 4-6 individuals deemed as useful in this new growth phase will be identified by the executive council after several e-mail consultations.

Elections

It is now time once again to seek nominations for the office of President Elect and for 4 Council Positions. To that end please feel free to send nominations to the Secretary General. The 8 members receiving the highest number of nominations who are willing to serve a 4 year term (2000-2004) will be eligible candidates for election. Members being replaced are C. Jacque (France; 1996-2000), S. Oja (Finland; 1996-2000), and J. Pasquini (Argentina; 1996-2000). As you recalled we agreed to expand Council to 8 from 6 at the Business Meeting in Vancouver in 1998. The deadline for nominations is February 1^st. Electronic submissions are welcome.

As always please feel free to communicate with me or any officer your suggestions and ideas.

Regino Perez-Polo, Ph.D.

Secretary General

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Programme and Schedule (as of December 1, 1999)

Key note lecture M. Schachner, Hamburg: TBA

Plenary lectures

• D. Kaplan, Montreal: Neurotrophin signalling
• P. Krammer, Heidelberg: Multiple pathways to cell death
• R. MacKay, Bethesda: Control of neural progenitor cell division
• N. LeDouarin, Thirty years of discoveries in neural crest
• Nogent-sur-Marne: development
• L. Olson, Stockholm: Strategies for regeneration in the lesioned spinal cord based on developmental cues
• G. Rougon, Marseille PSA in brain development and plasticity
• D. Storm, Seattle The molecular basis of synaptic plasticity and synapse formation
• M. Takeichi, Kyoto: Cadherins and brain development

Symposium 1: Neural induction and early patterning
Chair: C. Niehrs, Heidelberg

• C. Stern, New York
• J.L. Rubenstein, San Francisco
• C. Kintner, La Jolla
• C. Niehrs, Heidelberg

Symposium 2: Neurotrophic Factors
Chair: H. Thoenen, Martinsried

• C. Ibanez, Stockholm
• R. Klein, Heidelberg
• G. Dechant, Martinsried
• L. Maffei, Pisa

Symposium 3: Stem cells and neural progenitors
Chair: W.B. Huttner, Heidelberg

• V. Caviness, Boston
• G. Fishell, New York
• J. Knoblich, Vienna
• W. Huttner, Heidelberg

Symposium 4: Molecular regional patterning of the brain
Chair: A. Lumsden, London

• A. Simeone, Neapel
• W. Wurst, Munchen
• S. Wilson, London
• A. Lumsden, London

Symposium 4b: Signalling and morphogenesis
Chair: A. Prochiantz, Paris

• A. Ruiz i Altaba, New York
• D. OLeary, La Jolla
• C. Dotti, Heidelberg
• A. Prochiantz or affiliate, Paris

Symposium 5: Functions and transmembrane signalling of cell adhesion molecules
Chair: B. Ranscht, La Jolla

• V. Lemmon, Cleveland
• P. Sonderegger, Zurich
• C. Holt, Cambridge
• B. Ranscht, La Jolla

Symposium 6: Cell cycle regulation of neurogenesis
Chair: E. DiCicco-Bloom, Piscataway

• M. Chao, New York
• M. Roussel, Memphis
• N.N.
• E. DiCicco-Bloom, Piscataway

Symposium 7: Regeneration in the CNS: Promoting and repulsive cues
Chair: R. Keynes, Cambridge

• M. Schwab, Zurich
• L. McKerracher, Montreal
• J. Cohen, London
• S. McMahon or M. Rame, London

Symposium 8a: Human CNS stem cells
Chair: J- Frisén, Stockholm

• A. Wobus, Gatersleben
• A. Bjorklund, Lund
• S. Weiss, Calgary
• J. Frisen, Stockholm

Symposium 8b: Serotonergic actions and mechanisms during development
Chair: J. Lauder, Chapel Hill

• G. Buznikov, Friday Harbor
• L. Maroteaux, Starsbourg
• F. A. LaMantia, Chapel Hill
• J. Lauder, Chapel Hill

Symposium 9: Neural crest and peripheral nervous system development
Chair: C. Kalcheim, Jerusalem

• H. Rohrer, Frankfurt
• R. Mayor, Santiago de Chile
• N.N.
• C. Kalcheim, Jerusalem

Symposium 10: Neural extracellular matrix
Chair: A. Faissner, Strasbourg

• A. Lander, Irvine
• S. Hockfield, New Haven
• J. Fawcett, Cambridge
• A. Faissner, Strasbourg

Symposium 11: Development of learning and behavior as revealed by analyses of transgenic animals
Chair: H.-P. Lipp, Zürich

• M.Wilson, Cambridge MA
• Y. Dudai, Rehovot
• G. Schultz, Heidelberg
• D. Doniolo, Pavia

Symposium 12: Axonal pathfinding
Chair: F. Bonhoeffer, Tübingen

• U. Drescher, Tubingen
• D. Van Vactor, Boston
• P. Mombaerts, New York
• H. Song, La Jolla

Symposium 13: Neural and immune systems: Common and distinct pathways towards cell death
Chair: P. Krammer, Heidelberg

• H. Wekerle, Martinsried
• L. Greene, New York
• B. Antonsson, Geneva
• P. Krammer, Heidelberg

Symposium 14: Synapse Formation
Chair: M. Ruegg, Basel

• T. Bonhoeffer, Martinsried
• P. Worley, Baltimore
• N.N.
• M. Ruegg, Basel

Symposium 15: Transcriptional control of neuronal identity
Chair: C. Goridis, Marseille

• J.-F. Brunet, Marseille
• J. Ericson, Stockholm
• O. Hobert, New York
• S. Thor, Boston

Symposium 15a: Development of the olfactory system
Chair: R. Axel, New York

• C. Bargmann, San Francisco
• R. Menzel, Berlin
• N.N.
• R. Axel, New York

Symposium 16: Development of glial cells
Chair: K.A. Nave, Heidelberg

• C. Klumbt, Munster
• L. Sommer, Zurich
• B. Richardson, London
• S. Pfeiffer, Farmington

Symposium 17: Development and pathology of motoneurons and motor endplate
Chair: J. Eisen, Eugene

• H. Keshishian, Yale
• T. Jessell, New York
• S. Guthrie, London
• M. Sendtner, Wurzburg

Symposium 18: Genes involved in development of neurological disorders
Chair: A. Aguzzi, Zurich

• C.-M. Becker, Erlangen
• Ch. Haszlig;, Munchen
• A. Aguzzi, Zurich
• K. Moya, Orsay

Workshop I: Novel technologies in molecular (neuro)sciences
Chair: H. Bujard, Heidelberg

• L. Naldini, Torino
• M. Hasan, Heidelberg
• R. Sprengel, Heidelberg
• F. Helmchen, Murray Hill

Workshop II: Novel technologies in neuroimaging
Chair: N.N.

• Larry Katz
• Arthur Konnerth
• N.N.
• N.N.